


The Kids Are Alright

by soulioli



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, M/M, amami has a tiktok don't @ me, chatfic but kinda taken seriously, loose plot, no DR3 spoilers, no izuru either, no junko, none of these kids deserved what they got so i'm gonna make em happy, somewhat OOC but not really, they're literally just vibing leave them alone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23558206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulioli/pseuds/soulioli
Summary: A chance discovery leads to chaos for one of the classes at Hope's Peak Academy....and maybe a bit more, if they get lucky.[Semi-serious chatfic with a shaky plot, they're somewhat OOC but I just want em to be happy.]
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	1. He's....kinda charming?

Class representative meetings were exhausting. 

It was a fact Chiaki had quickly determined after sitting in one for more than 15 minutes. It wasn't like it was particularly _hard_ to tire the gamer, but this was a new level. She dutifully listened to the speaker babble on about unity and the fact that they were "the future of a united world", deciding somewhere along the line that taking notes on the speech was useless and that she'd be better off sketching in her notebook. 

These were a weekly occurrence. By now she had learned to tune the speaker out. She respected what they were doing, but also held tightly to the belief that things like unity would never matter if they were forced. It was better to just be themselves, and if they got along, they did. Of course there was natural infighting - Chiaki could handle that. But forced hope just felt wrong to her.

So she sketched. It was almost therapeutic - after all, if she couldn't game, then she could still use some of the coordination she had learned. Her sketch took on many different forms the more she added, but finally stopped at a white rabbit in a magical girl costume. She looked down at it and shrugged. It wasn't bad, but it did remind her that she had likely spent a little _too_ much on DLC costumes for her favorite dancing games. 

The corner of a notebook slid into her peripheral vision, preventing her from musing her lack of self control when it came to DLC. It was from the person next to her - and although she probably shouldn’t have looked, she them well enough to know that this was definitely a message for her. She read the words written in the corner, smiling to herself as she comprehended their meaning.

_“This guy’s a little….wordy.”_

She glanced up, nodding with a quirk of the lip that indicated her full agreement. The girl next to her was Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. She was striking, even in the brown uniform of the academy. It wasn’t like blonde hair was unusual to see (the academy did start accepting more “exotic” students this year, when she was admitted), but she was naturally pretty. Not only did she possess a light purple eye color, but she also had eyelashes that seemed almost criminally long to Chiaki. 

She picked up her pencil and set it on Kaede’s notebook, writing her response. _“Tell me about it.”_

The blonde stifled a giggle, jotting another message back. _“I can’t help but wonder if Makoto-senpai is asleep. If we weren’t so close to the front, I definitely might be.”_

Chiaki glanced behind her, finding that the boy in question was, indeed, asleep. It wasn’t like she blamed him - their meetings after the meeting were much more insightful. It wasn’t like they were all that professional (the receipts from the multiple diners that were thrown in her nightstand confirmed as much) but they all had similar ideals and it was fun to talk to the two other class representatives. 

It wasn’t like the others weren’t fun to talk to - they definitely were, and she’d had many conversations with some of the leaders that had been picked - but she definitely didn’t enjoy the meetings. In fact, they were much better when they had someone who didn’t lecture them on good leadership. 

She wrote down a response to Kaede. “ _He’s definitely sleeping.”_

Kaede smothered another giggle, shoulders shaking instead. She was about to write something down, but before she could, she was cut off by the sound of clapping. Apparently the speech had ended. They shared a look, but said no further as they both returned to listening. The rest of the meeting was minor business, but Chiaki took little notes to remind herself what announcements had to be made and when she had to announce them. (And, mentally, she reminded herself to send a picture of her notes to the older representative.) Even though she hadn’t exactly signed up for the position of class president, she still made it a point to do right by her classmates - no, her _friends_ \- and figure out how to do things right. 

That being said (or thought? She wasn’t sure if the expression changed depending on what you did), she did let out a sigh when the meeting was over, flipping her notebook shut and haphazardly throwing it in her bag and then flopping back in her seat. From beside her, the pianist grinned. “Tired?” 

“Only a little,” she admitted with her usual quietness, though a smile played at her lips. “But it’s nice not having anywhere to go.” 

“Oh, yeah, that’s right!” Kaede exclaimed suddenly. “You don’t really have anything to do today, huh?” 

“Nope. Since they moved Hajime-kun up from the Reserve Course, I haven't met with him after this stuff. He kinda just hangs out all the time.” A smile touched her face. While she hadn’t been expecting to make friends with people outside of her class when she first came here, Makoto, Kaede, and now Hajime had thrown her expectations out of the window. 

“Aww, so now you’re with him all the time, huh? It’s like something out of a manga,” the blonde teased. Chiaki flushed. 

“Well, I guess you have a point…” 

“What did they move him up for, anyway? Did he like, become a superhero?” 

Chiaki shook her head. “No, though the image is funny,” she giggled. “They’re calling him the Ultimate Student. I guess they wanted to use him as a lab rat for something.” 

“Ooh,” Kaede winced. “Doesn’t sound fun.” 

“Not really, but they found someone who was apparently more suitable for what they needed, so he’s just in my class now,” she shrugged, smiling still. “So it’s fine….I think.” 

“Just as long as you're with your player 2, huh?” 

Chiaki’s response was a shrug, but the blush on her face definitely would have invalidated any objections she made. “Shouldn’t we go get Makoto-senpai?” 

Kaede jumped, looking around them. Everyone had filtered out without them noticing, except for Makoto, who was now drooling onto his desk. His brown hair was delightfully messy (as always) and he wore the standard issue uniform for the Main Course (as always.) She puffed out her cheeks in a mild expression of annoyance, crossing her arms. “Jeez, sometimes I wonder how that guy is even a class representative.” 

“He’s a hard worker,” Chiaki said with a shrug. “He’s usually better about falling asleep in these….I think.” She wasn’t wrong. Makoto Naegi was not only the Ultimate Lucky Student, but he was a hard worker. Allegedly, he hadn’t been when he first came here, but after a girl had caught his eye, he began to actually put effort into his studies. 

….Or so the story went. 

The last part was just stuff that had been passed to her through various classmates, so she wasn’t sure if it was true. What she was sure of, however, is that Makoto was always a very kind, energetic guy with a big heart. And, he was also fun to tease and talk to, even if he wasn’t a stand out classmate in terms of his interests or story. He had bright ideas for the future, a strong pull that attracted people to him, and more sense than he appeared to have upon first glance.

Chiaki sighed and slung her bag over her shoulder. She walked to his desk with slow, methodical steps. Once there, she placed a hand on his shoulder and began to shake him. “Time to wake up, senpai.” 

“Nnnngh, five more minutes….” 

“Aw, come on, Makoto-senpai!” Kaede chirped. “I would hate to have to get Ishimaru-senpai to wake you up.” 

“Ah, should I go get him?” Chiaki asked back, watching as her friend smiled deviously. Makoto jolted upward, wiping drool from his face. 

“I’m up! I’m up.” 

“Maybe we should say that more often, Chiaki-chan,” Kaede grinned. Chiaki matched it with her own softer smile, glancing at the dazed boy. He groaned at the two of them. 

“I hate you both.” 

“Aw, you know you love us! Now c’mon! We’ve got to stop at the bookstore so you can show me more of that manga you said I would like,” Kaede said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“Ugh, I did make a promise, didn’t I?” 

“Yep! Now you gotta keep it, right Chiaki-chan?” 

“Right,” She affirmed, watching as Makoto scooped his things into his bag and stood, stretching. 

“Alright, alright, you win.” He sighed, “Did I miss anything important?” 

“Not really,” Chiaki said, “just announcements about upcoming events that aren’t until months from now.” 

He glanced over at Chiaki pleadingly. She looked away from him. “I’ll send the notes to you later…..I think.” 

"I'll remind her!" Kaede beamed. "Wouldn't want you to fall behind, senpai." 

“Well, I guess all’s well that ends well,” he laughed, scratching his cheek bashfully. 

“Yeah, but if you don’t hurry I’ll have to race you to the bookstore,” she sang, tone teasing. 

“Fine, there, I’m done,” the brunette sighed, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

Kaede beamed, and they walked out of the room, idly chattering. The banter was nothing new, but it was a nice routine they’d fallen into. 

Chiaki couldn’t help but smile as she listened.

* * *

Some time later, they were all squeezed into a booth at a diner. Makoto and Chiaki were squeezed on one side of the booth. While Makoto worked on his minimal homework with some pointers from Chiaki, the gamer indulged herself in one of her favorite rhythm games on the PS Vita. Kaede sat across from the both of them, scrolling through her phone idly. 

Her manga was sitting next to her, but she didn’t want to risk getting it dirty on the table while she waited for their food to come. Instead, she scrolled through a new app she downloaded: TikTok. While it wasn’t her usual vibe, she did hear other girls talking about it (namely Maizono and Mioda) when it was time for labs, so she decided to give it a shot. Apparently it was popular among people her age, but she’d never noticed it. In fact, she’d only recently noticed other sites and apps like Twitter. 

_Another drawback of being the ‘Piano Freak,’ I guess._

She shook the thought out of her head, focusing again on the various videos that popped up as she scrolled. Some were of girls her age, some were of guys, some were of cooking. There were even older ladies who cooked lunches for their children. (And while she didn’t like the idea of _her_ cooking, she loved watching other people cook.) 

What caught her attention was a familiar face. Luckily, she had headphones in to conceal some of the more….obscene songs on the app, but even that wouldn’t of mattered because of what she was seeing. 

_It can’t be…._

Oh, but it was. The screen prominently showcased her classmate, Rantaro Amami, doing a dance to a mashup of two songs she’d definitely heard before. 

“ _She put my name with yellow hearts /_

_I miss my cocoa butter kisses, hope you smile when you listen /_

_Her favorite color like the stars /_

_Ain’t no competition just competin’ for attention /_

_I didn’t listen very hard”_

It wasn’t that the song was anything particularly sensual, or that the dance he was doing was - in fact, it was….cute. It was just that she had never seen Rantaro like that before - he was always the laid back type, yeah, and sure, he enjoyed himself at school, but he seemed very bright and very alive. He was in the middle of a city square of some foriegn location that she couldn’t begin to guess, but didn’t seem very shy in the moment. In fact, he looked like he was having a lot of fun. 

And, judging by the number of likes and comments, other people were having fun watching. Out of pure curiosity, she clicked on the comment icon just to see what people had to say and immediately rose her eyebrows. 

> **user_890:** 🤰🤰🤰🤰🤰🤰
> 
> **missthing:** who gave you the right to be this cute 🥺🥺
> 
> **kyah:** this whole video had me like 🥺💖💓💞
> 
> **stan_kichi:** ok but you ATE that up, amazing work king
> 
> **b_arise:** so you really tryna charm me this early in the morning huh

It was….perplexing. And for a second, she allowed herself to believe it wasn’t Rantaro. And then she clicked on the profile picture and started to scroll. And the more she scrolled, the deeper the color of her slowly coloring cheeks.

It wasn’t that anything was particularly flirty. It was just him having fun and doing various dances (and some weren’t even dancing videos, more just him somewhat vlogging his day and his various trips.) But the more she scrolled, and the more she observed comments, the more she found herself believing that it was actually him. Eventually, she was sure it was him because she saw the interior of the dorms (more specifically, his dorm, which was outfitted with LED lights.). Her jaw dropped, red taking over her face. While he was a good friend normally, on this app he was confident and charming, and sometimes he did things that almost _definitely_ should have been interpreted as flirting with the camera. 

But she knew better. 

That didn’t stop the flush that rose to her face, nor did it stop the knot in her stomach. By no means was she looking to get into a relationship with the guy, but this portrayal was really charming. She dropped the phone onto the table, not really caring about the status of her earbud as it fell out, too. 

“What….the hell?” 

“Are you alright, Kaede-san?” Makoto asked, looking up from his work. 

“Well, if you count being charmed by a classmate through a social media app as fine, then I guess I am.” Kaede grumbled, heels of her hands digging into her eyes. She saw stars and focused on that instead, groaning. It wasn’t a bad groan, but more of a “this is _not_ happening in this timeline because I am _not_ attracted to this guy" groan. 

“H-Huh?” 

She didn’t feel like explaining. Instead, she took one hand away from one of her eyes and took the earbuds out, hitting play on one of the videos. Makoto watched curiously, understanding what she meant about halfway through. 

“Oh, I get it. He’s….kinda charming.” 

“Just a little,” Chiaki chimed in, and it was then that Makoto noticed that she had been watching. “But it’s a good look on him….I think.” 

“No it’s definitely a good look on him,” Kaede groaned, head still in her hands. “That’s the problem. He's got no right looking that adorable!" 

“Well, maybe it is an issue, but not for you,” Makoto said innocently. “I mean, if someone had a crush on the guy, that would be a bigger issue for them, right?” 

Chiaki hummed in agreement. While the wheels in Kaede’s head had stopped turning as she was watching, they went back to work with a creaky groan as Makoto spoke. She opened her eyes, taking her head from her hands to look at him. 

"Well, I guess, but it would also make them happy, right?" 

"Yeah, I think so. I mean I think it would make me happy, which, er, uh," Makoto tripped over the last words, suspecting Kaede would latch onto the prospect of him having a crush. Instead, she frowned down at her phone. 

"So I should send it to them?" She asked, looking up at him.

Makoto shrugged. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" 

Kaede's eyes turned toward the ceiling. "Well, a lot, but….I mean, maybe I should keep it a secret." 

"Amami-kun isn't really the shy type….I think." Chiaki chimed in, staring at her game. "If he really didn't want you guys to know it was him, why would he have filmed a video in his room?"

"He could have just not thought about it?" She countered. It sounded more like a question than an answer, but she did have to think about her friends before doing something. What if she accidently exposed him? 

"Or he just doesn't really care either way," Makoto suggested. "If he did care about that, I doubt he would have taken the chance. I mean, he's even in the uniform." 

Kaede's defense began to wear thin. That made a lot of sense logically, and the urge to send the videos to a certain someone was like an itch she couldn't scratch. 

"Okay, okay, you win. Guess I'm sending it to them," The blonde conceded, picking her phone back up. Chiaki peeked at the blonde from behind the protective cover of her gaming console. 

"Something tells me you didn't need all that convincing…..I think." 

Kaede shrugged, tapping out a message after sending the link.

**Kaede Akamatsu > Kokichi Ouma**

**Kaede:** dude come get your friend  
**Kaede:** this charming hoe

 **Kokichi:** i have no idea what you're  
**Kokichi:** haha, just saw it  
**Kokichi:** your taste in men must be even worse than i thought if you think this is attractive

 **Kaede:** sir?   
**Kaede:** do not talk to me like you do not look at him with puppy eyes literally every time I see you   
**Kaede:** you disaster 

Kaede's tone was definitely harsh, harsher than it maybe should have been, but that was how it went with Kokichi. She was able to be kind with her other classmates, but with Kokichi she had to give as good as she got, and she did. That didn't mean it hadn't had a learning curve, though. The two had their fair share of fights in the past, but mostly understood each other now. 

**Kokichi:** you literally said you would die for saihara 2 seconds after you met him   
**Kokichi:** and you have ADMITTED you would kiss several girls in our glass  
**Kokichi:** but go off, Kaeidiot   
**Kokichi:** he is cute though

 **Kaede:** really? 

**Kokichi:** of course not! that's obviously a lie, idiot  
**Kokichi:** i can't believe you fell for that 

**Kaede:** yeah and i don't play the piano 

**Kokichi:** it's not like i'll watch them, he's just a flirt anyway

 **Kaede:** oh i get it  
**Kaede:** you just can't admit that you're a disaster gay  
**Kaede:** no, no, i get it  
**Kaede:** i'm out here doing the lord's work and you SLANDER PEOPLE  
**Kaede:** and you don't even accept the food i have fed you

 **Kokichi:** of course   
**Kokichi:** i am the Ultimate Supreme Leader after all  
**Kokichi:** but i guess i can give you a pity comment  
**Kokichi:** so i GUESS this isn't as bad as i thought it was

 **Kaede:** and what do we say when we're thankful?\

 **Kokichi:** hey, who said i was thankful? in fact, i could still be lying

 **Kaede:** of course

 **Kokichi:** i guess you're not that bad  
**Kokichi:** nishinishinishi  
**Kokichi:** it's a lie!

 **Kaede:** i'm sure it is, little guy

 **Kokichi:** never mind i hate it here 

**Kaede:** your attention span running short? 

**Kokichi:** bye 

Kaede grinned. "Well, mission accomplished." 

"How did they take it?" Makoto asked, glancing at the grin on Kaede's face. She glanced up, pocketing her phone. 

"Ah, I think they'll have a little fun with it. Hopefully they don't do something stupid though…" Makoto shrugged. 

"What's the worst thing that could happen?"

* * *

**Kokichi Ouma added Rantaro Amami, Kaede Akamatsu, Miu Iruma, and 12 others to the chat**

**Kokichi:** dearly beloved  
**Kokichi:** i've gathered you all here to witness a truth 

**Maki:** Oh, good. 

**Kokichi:** and that truth is….  
**Kokichi:** rantaro amami has a tiktok account  
**Kokichi:** and there's the link

 **Kaito:** dude

 **Miu:** AY YO WHY U GOT THE LINK THO??? 💀💀

 **Kaito:** bro that's kinda….  
**Kaito:** you kissing another bro? 

**Kirumi:** Furthermore….why are you telling us this? 

**Kokichi:** got bored 

**Kaito:** are you serious

 **Tsumugi:** oh y'all just found that?   
**Tsumugi:** we been knew

 **Angie:** atua says that amami-kun looks very nice though!!!1! (◠‿◠✿)

 **Miu:** HE DO BE CUTE THO 🙈🙈

 **Korekiyo:** The videos truly do bring out a new side to his nature though….fascinating…

 **Kaito:** i mean he's having fun so i don't care

 **Kirumi:** This new portrayal is quite fitting…

 **Ryoma:** hey, quick question…..what the fuck is this 

**Gonta:** Gonta would also like to know what "the fuck" this is!!!

 **Tenko:** Only a degenerate would pull something like this….but Amami has remarkable coordination! 

**Himiko:** maybe,,,, he could help me with a magic spell one day,,, 

**Kokichi:** Are We Really Going To Ignore That 

**Kaito:** ignore what? 

**Maki:** Are you an idiot? 

**Kaito:** hey! i may be stupid but i'm NOT an idiot 

**Miu:** THOSE MEAN THE SAME THING FUCKASS

 **K1-B0:** Iruma-san, why are you typing in all capital letters? 

**Miu:** WHY AREN'T YOU, YOU FUCKING VIRGIN?? 🥵🥵

 **Ryoma:** iruma's….mannerisms aside, don't repeat after me again, ok gonta? 

**Gonta:** ok!

 **Saihara:** Those videos suit Rantaro-kun very nicely :)))

**Kokichi has changed Rantaro Amami's nickname to *renegades @ u***

**Kirumi:** That is an…..interesting choice of name.

 **Kaito:** isn't it a little weird that amami and aka-chan aren't on yet, though? 

**MIU:** YOU THINK THEY'RE FUCKIN?! 😏🍆💦

 **Saihara:** I don't know about that….maybe we should wait until they get up to talk anymore? 

**Kokichi:** but that's so boooooring  
**Kokichi:** oh well, i guess i'll just change all of your nicknames instead….


	2. That one day where Maki almost kills Ouma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki almost commits a felony but makes a new friend. Kaede looks out for her classmates. They both find something unexpected along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're in = Kaito  
> let's go lesbians = Tenko  
> a walking, talking, roomba = keebo  
> *renegades @ u* = amami   
> Inspector gadget = saihara  
> head like a bag of grapes = ouma  
> only rainbows after rain = kaede  
> Straw ropes = korekiyo   
> maid to order = kirumi   
> bottom for atua = angie  
> i am literally just vibing = gonta  
> horny 24/7 = miu  
> broke my neck = ryoma  
> i love children = maki  
> light up, light up, sketchers = himiko  
> #1 fnaf stan = tsumugi

**we’ve made a discovery - 6:30 am**

***renegades @ you*:** oh you guys found that?    
***renegades @ you*:** cool, i was wondering when you would   
***renegades @ you*:** and….thanks, I guess? It’s not a huge deal   
  
**maid to order:** Just out of simple curiosity, why do you have something like that, Amami-kun?    
**maid to order:** ….Perhaps we should not have left Ouma to his own devices last night.    
  
***renegades @ you*:** well i started it to keep track of my travels for the school but it was fun   
***renegades @ you*:** and now we’re here, i guess?   
***renegades @ you*:** and leaving kokichi alone was my bad lmao, apparently he needs to live in constant chaos 

**Supreme Leader:** i can’t tell if i should be happy or offended???? 

***renegades @ you* has changed Supreme Leader’s nickname to head like a bag of grapes**

**head like a bag of grapes:** definitely offended  
**head like a bag of grapes:** waaaaaaah, you’re so mean rantaro!!! 

***renegades @ you*:** sucks to suck :)) 

**head like a bag of grapes:** i’m gonna go cry 

**i love children:** Please do.   
**i love children:** …..  
**i love children:** On second thought, maybe you’ll do a bit more than cry. 

**head like a bag of grapes:** RANTARO SAVE ME 

***renegades @ you*:** huh?   
***renegades @ you*:** who’s rantaro? 

**inspector gadget:** Never heard of him. 

**(P)(e)(n)(i)an(s)t:** come on guys, let’s be nice to ouma-kun, he did start this chat after all! 

  
**(P)(e)(n)(i)an(s)t has changed their nickname to only rainbows after rain**

**only rainbows after rain:** on second thought, i’ve never heard of a rantaro in my life. carry on

**head like a bag of grapes:** YOU’RE ALL SO MEAAAAANNNN

**bottom for atua:** atua says that kokichi should, as they say, “hold this L!!!” (◕ᴗ◕✿)   
**bottom for atua:** and he is willing to look the other way for his particular murder

**i love children:** Good. 

**only rainbows after rain:** just remember to be back by classtime! homeroom starts at 7! :))    
  
**i love children:** That’ll be plenty of time. 

**inspector gadget:** hey, uh, why didn’t you change your name, yonaga?? 

**horny 24/7:** BECAUSE ITS TRUE!!!!!

**we’re in:** oh

**only rainbows after rain:** oh

**inspector gadget:** oh

**bottom for atua:** oh

**horny 24/7:** DON’T ACT LIKE IT’S NOT FUCKIN TRUE 

***renegades @ you*:** well no one disagreed….? 

**horny 24/7:** I DIDN’T ASK AVOCADO LOOKIN ASS

**bottom for atua:** atua wishes to remind you all that iruma has not changed her nickname either!!! 

**horny 24/7:** IM NOT GONNA CHANGE IT IF I KNOW ITS RIGHT BITCH I’M NOT KEEPING IT SECRET

**head like a bag of grapes:** well of course she’s not changing it!    
**head like a bag of grapes:** a nasty slut like her has no shame in admitting it 

**Inspector gadget:** Oh, and that’s my cue to leave.

**horny 24/7:** I MEAN… HE NOT WRONG DOE 🥵🥵

**Bottom for atua:** atua says premarital sex is a sin!!

**lets go** **lesbians:** of course a nasty male would be saying that stuff publicly...  
 **lets go lesbians:** and iruma-chan, i think that you should only practice this behavior behind closed doors! 

**horny 24/7:** AT LEAST I'M NOT LIKE YOU VIRGINS 😤😤

**light up, light up sketchers:** anyway,,, my mana can no longer locate ouma in the dorms

**horny 24/7:** THATS CUS HE FUCKIN DIED

**only rainbows after rain:** no, he’s just in class already.    
**only rainbows after rain:** severely traumatized but still here

**maid to order:** Speaking of class, shouldn’t you all be getting ready? 

***renegades @ you*:** yes mom

**bottom for atua:** yes mom!!!

**lets go lesbians:** yes mom

**horny 24/7:** YES MOM

Kaede sighed, looking up from her phone. 

_ Well, at least everything turned out for the best.  _

The detective sitting next to her frowned, eyes glancing her direction. “Are you alright, Akamatsu-san?” 

She glanced over at him, smiling some as her eyes adjusted to the morning light filling the classroom. It brought out the blue tones in Saihara’s inky hair and highlighted his hat, which caused her to pout at him, prompting a small flash of confusion to flicker over his grey eyes. 

_ He’s still wearing that thing? And he still calls me Akamatsu-san…. _

The pianist continued to pout over at him, quickly reaching up and snatching his hat off of his head as she did. 

“H-Hey!” 

Kaede grinned, settling the hat on her head. Without the hat, the detective looked...handsome. He didn’t have hat hair at all, and when the light caught on his face, she swore that she couldn’t breathe sometimes. 

Yeah….almost too handsome for his own good. “I’m fine! And seriously, it’s Kaede! Akamatsu-san makes me feel like my mother.” 

He flushed, eyes downcast. “I - I didn’t mean to offend.” 

Something about his tone made her flinch. She was just teasing, but she hadn’t actually hurt him, had she? No, she was sure she hadn’t, but still, she didn’t like the meek tone he was using. “Aww, come on, I’m not mad! Just call me Kaede. C’mon, please?” She asked, overstating the pouting expression to fluster him even further. 

Call her simpleminded, but he was awfully handsome when his face colored like that. 

He sighed. “All right, then….can I have my hat back, Kaede?” 

The pianist looked at him, victorious expression quickly slipping in favor of it's flushed counterpart. Instinctively, she pulled the hat down to cover her eyes, doing her best to suppress a squeak. She’d been doing her best to get him to regularly be less and less formal with her (they were friends, after all), but it still didn’t help that whenever he said her name everything got fuzzy. She glanced back up at him. He was still looking at her, face flushed but expression expectant, as if he would get angry with no reward. That wasn’t true - the best he could do was pout at her, and she would give in - but it still scared the butterflies slumbering in her stomach enough that she felt even  _ more  _ fuzzy. A little part of her wanted to keep this moment for herself, to be the only one who got to see him like that. 

_ Yeah….definitely too handsome for his own good. _

She swiftly took the hat off of her head after a moment of pause and secured it on his, causing him to give a little sigh of relief. The pianist smiled at him, opening her lips to say something just before more people barreled into the classroom. 

The first of which was Maki Harukawa, who made a B-line to the back of the classroom and picked Kokichi up by his throat. He let out a shriek before being picked up which turned into him wiggling about to try and escape the girl’s grasp. Kaede sighed. While she’d never know where Maki got her strength from, she assumed it was from dealing with older, more rebellious children. And, well, Kokichi was an older, rebellious child, so maybe she was just doing what she’d always done? But then again, wasn’t that a kind of abuse….? 

Smiling at her friend, she made her way over to Maki and the trickster of their classroom. Maki was….terrifying. While she only stood at a modest 5’3, she had the ability to exude a predatory aura that made her classmates wither in fear. “Harukawa-chan, maybe you should put Ouma-kun down. Class is going to start soon.” 

“Let me kill him first,” she said coldly. Kaede got the sense that she didn't fully know what was happening, but shook her head in response in spite of not knowing. 

“I know what he did was annoying, but he doesn’t deserve to die over it. And, if you keep him alive, I’m sure he’ll change your name.” she pointed out, face impassive. Maki loosened her grip before ultimately deciding to drop the trickster, who was left gasping for air. 

She turned away, fidgeting with a strand of hair. “There’s no need.” 

“But I thought you didn’t-” A screen being shoved in her face cut her objection off. It was a text log between two of her classmates - one side obviously being Maki, and the other being their one and only Ultimate Astronaut. 

**Kaito Momota > Maki Harukawa**

**Kaito:** don’t kill ouma over your name!!   
**Kaito:** i think it fits you, maki-roll! 

**Maki:** You should stop using that ridiculous nickname.

**Kaito:** no way!   
**Kaito:** it’s cute, just like your name in the group chat

**Maki:** ….Thanks.

**Kaito:** :DDDD 

Kaede looked up from the screen. “Ah, I get it. Well, it’s okay because….” 

She trailed off, noting that Maki’s lean frame was trembling almost imperceptibly. In fact, if Kaede hadn't sat backstage with other performers who had stage fright, she wouldn't have noticed. If she hadn't spent years training herself to look for people who were also nervous to comfort herself, she would have missed it. But Kaede knew distress when she saw it, and concern grew within her. She noticed everything, especially the fact that the brunette held onto her hair almost  _ too  _ tightly. “Maki? Is something wrong…?” 

“It’s nothing,” she said stiffly, and it was then that it struck Kaede how meek her voice sounded, covered by kilometers and kilometers of ice. She frowned, more out of concern than annoyance. While she and the other girl had never talked, it was clear that she held some sort of respect for the pianist. Maki didn’t really listen to anyone - in fact, the only other person she listened to was Kaito himself. That didn’t mean that they had talked much, nor were they friends. (Honestly, she was a little rude, but the more Kaede watched her shaking hands, the less and less that started to matter.) 

“Alright then. Um, are you busy today after class?” 

“Why do you ask?” She retorted, seeming to calm down instantly. It was almost like she’d cut off circulation to all of her emotion, something that also struck Kaede as odd. Who could just do that, anyway? It was almost like she did that out of habit. But that was weird, right? What would she even need to do that because of? Was she secretly some kind of mercenary or something? 

_ Nah….that’s too out there.  _

“I was just going to go do some shopping and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me. I feel like I don’t know you that well and I want to.” She said sheepishly, smiling a little. The pianist watched as she hesitated over what she was going to say. Usually, when she’d tried in the past, Maki said something like “no,” or “why would I do something so stupid?” automatically. But now…..she hesitated. A little bit of hope grew in Kaede’s heart. 

“I…..” She pursed her lips, as if thinking of something. “I guess.” 

“Oh, really!?” Kaede exclaimed, face alight with joy. She hadn’t expected that to work this time, but she thought that she might as well try. Maki nodded. “Okay, awesome! I’ll just come to your desk after class.” 

“That’s fine with me. Bye.” 

And just like that, the Ultimate Child Caregiver was gone. Kaede cocked her head to the side. 

_ Huh…. _

* * *

"I'm going out with Akamatsu after school." 

She didn't know why she'd said it. It just slipped out, like her agreement to go. It was quiet between the two of them, comfortable, and despite herself she said something just to hear what he would say. She balled her hands into fists. Usually it was so….so easy to keep her composure, but the more that he and Kaede warmed up to her, the harder she found it to say no. It was dangerous. 

"Oh that's great, Maki-roll!" Kaito grinned at her, leaning back in his seat. He had been pestering her for months now to make friends (since the moment their idiotic homeroom teacher announced their seating, in fact) but she'd always denied him. Always kept her distance. Until he started using that  _ stupid  _ nickname and his grin made her feel  _ stupid _ and she was sure she was getting soft but wasn't sure if that was bad - 

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "Yeah." 

"You nervous?" He said, tapping on his desk. God, she really couldn't look at him right now. Her hands moved to her hair, eager to busy themselves. She wasn't nervous, she was just getting soft, and she couldn't tell him that because he would definitely want to vomit upon hearing the  _ awful _ things she'd done in the past and that shouldn't have mattered but somehow it  _ did _ and- 

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" He asked, and she looked up to him to find that the grin had slid off of his face  _ because  _ of her and her hands were shaking again which wasn't normal because she could kill a man with no hesitation but here she was  _ vulnerable  _ (why was she so vulnerable, anyway?) and she really needed to run without seeming suspicious - 

She took a deep breath.  _ You're better than this. _

That was right, she was better than this and surely she could control herself with someone as dull as Kaito and if she had to kill him she would cry later. "I'm fine," she responded, getting her hands under control and looking anywhere but him. "I just thought I would tell you so you stop bothering me about it." 

"Yeah…." He trailed off, looking at her intently. (Why was he looking at her? It made her brain do stupid things.) "Uh, you know you can talk to me about anything, right Maki?" 

The unsure murmur of her name took her aback, because when had he become so casual with her? Her eyes snapped to him again and stuck there, hoping she gave no indication of shock as she searched his face for signs of deception. Within the crevices of his face laid only earnest concern, from the crease of his forehead to the corners of his mouth, which looked appealing (why did they look  _ appealing?  _ What was she even thinking?) 

Against her will her cheeks became hot and she looked down. "I know that. Thanks, Kaito." The word felt weird on her lips, unfamiliar and yet warm (warm? Since when was she describing herself as  _ warm? _ ). But out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he grinned at her toothily and she didn't regret it. She turned back to the assignment that they were supposed to be working on together and began to work in silence, once again listening to Kaito's ramblings. 

Pencil in hand, she began to wonder if going soft was such a bad thing after all.

* * *

Kaede made a B-line to Maki straight after class had ended, stuff already packed in her bag and ready to go. The girl looked up at her with a slightly surprised look, but shook her head and packed up her things quietly under Kaede's eager gaze. 

"You're sure excited, huh Aka-chan?" Kaito laughed from beside her. Kaede laughed. 

"Well, duh, wouldn't you be excited to take a nice girl like Harukawa-chan out?" 

Maki flushed. That sounded an awful lot like date language to her, and she was pretty sure she hadn't agreed to a date… 

"Woah, I didn't know you swung that way Aka-chan!" The Ultimate Astronaut explained. 

"It's not a date," Maki blurted, immediately flushing after she realized she'd said something. So what if Kaito thought it was a date? He was annoying anyway. 

"Yeah, Momota-kun! Jeez, you sure are a pervert!" Kaede chimed, causing Kaito to splutter. Maki smirked at the sound, but also noted that she hadn't outright said that she  _ didn't _ swing that way. Didn't people usually deny that kind of thing if it wasn't true? So...that left her with a lot of questions. Did she just not bother to address it, or was she not denying it because it was true? 

"I am not! You used date words, so what else was I supposed to think?" 

"Hmm, I dunno, but probably something friendly?" She grinned back. "I'm only teasing, anyway. Though…" the pianist trailed off. "you do sound a little jealous, Momota-kun." 

"I do not!" He objected, voice raising in pitch. Kaede giggled again. 

“Aww, you’re cute when you’re flustered!” 

Maki sighed and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. The idea that Kaito wanted to take her on a date was dangerous. “I’m leaving.” She said simply. Kaede stuck her tongue out at Kaito but still waved goodbye, following her new buddy for the day.

Once they were safely away from the classroom, Maki paused. “I….actually don’t know where we’re going.” 

Kaede laughed, taking the lead. “It’s cool. I bet you just didn’t want to hear me and Momota-kun go back and forth anymore, huh?” 

She looked away. “Something like that.” 

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, managing to get to the entrance of the school where some students lingered before Kaede's curiosity got the better of her.

* * *

"So, Harukawa-chan, you grew up in an orphanage, right? What's that like?" 

Maki gave a shrug. Kaede winced at her own question. 

_ Right, that's probably a sore spot. Why did I say that?!  _

"It was work." She said simply. "A lot. And a lot of interacting with kids." 

"But if the kids liked you, then you must be a good person. Little kids have really good intuition," she commented. 

Maki sighed. "I don't know about that. I was one of the older children, so….I just took care of them the most, that's all." 

"No, I'm sure it's more than that! You're probably secretly capable of deep love." 

"Why do you insist on believing in people?" 

Maki's voice was like an ice knife, cutting her statement in half and yet causing a deep frost in the wound that turned blood to ice. She seemed….annoyed. 

_ Have I really messed up that bad…? Or is it something else? Do I lie to her, or tell her the truth…?  _

She mentally slapped herself. No use in not taking the bull by the horns, right? 

"I just think everyone needs someone to believe in them, no matter how bad they look. Or how bad they think they are. Someone always believed in me, so I feel like I should look out for everyone else." She blushed, holding her elbow. "Is that silly?" 

"It's…" Maki paused briefly, as if trying to get her thoughts in order. "...admirable." 

Kaede started, looking at her. They were well down the street from the school now, walking among the flood of students from Hope's Peak, both Main and Reserve Course alike. "You mean that?" 

"Why would I say things that I don't mean?" She responded, voice a bit harsh. Kaede couldn't tell if she had asked a dumb question or her tone was accidental, but she assumed it was probably the former. 

"Ah, dumb question. Sorry." 

"Don't be," Maki said, shutting her eyes for a second. "It's only natural when you hang out with people that have empty heads." 

"Are you talking about Momota-kun or Ouma-kun?" She asked, eyebrow raised. Maki turned to her unflinchingly and simply responded: 

"Yes."

The answer prompted a string of giggles from Kaede. Even though Maki wasn't usually comical, it was relaxing to know that she was at least comfortable enough to be humorous in her own way. 

Still giggling at the comment, Kaede wondered how today would go.

* * *

"What? You've  _ never  _ had Boba, Haru-san?" Kaede exclaimed, mouth agape. 

Maki shook her head, lips still pressed together tightly. "Not really." 

Her words held a certain weight to them, and if Kaede's expression was any indication, she seemed to catch on. Even though she was their class representative, she was a bit airy, but she stayed in the moment and was good at what she did, so it wasn't like she could complain. 

The blonde perked up suddenly, grabbing Maki's hand and abruptly changing their direction. Maki's eyebrows knit together. "What are you doing?" 

"Well we're going to go get some, obviously!" Kaede grinned. "The shop's this way." 

"...We don't have to do that." Maki said, digging in her heels a bit. They really didn't have to, and she couldn't fathom why Kaede would want to spend more time with her.

"No, but I want to!" Kaede grinned. 

Maki sighed. That was a common phrase that had haunted her throughout the day today. She glanced down to the bag on her wrist. Inside were things Kaede had picked up for her because she had been  _ watching _ Maki, watching what her eyes lingered just a little longer on and had presumptuously bought them for her. While it was true she did want those items to some degree, she had resigned herself to the fact that what she wanted didn't matter. 

It didn't matter when she killed people, it didn't matter when she was little, and it certainly didn't matter now. But to Kaede everything mattered. Kaede did what Kaede wanted to do. What Maki couldn't figure out, though, is if Kaede's actions were selfish or self _ less _ . Was she this kind to everyone? Why? Wouldn't she just get hurt? 

And why was she so kind to her, of all people? 

Apparently, while thinking about it, she had zoned out, and came back to earth via Kaede waving a hand in front of her face. "Haru-chan? You in there?" 

_ Haru-chan…. _

Like the gifts, the nickname wasn't anything she had requested, but was given to her out of kindness. It had slipped out in a store at some point, and for some reason Maki found that she didn't mind it. It wasn't that she liked it, but she didn't hate it. And it was nice to be neutral. 

"I'm fine." 

A smile bloomed. "Good! You know, you worried me for a second there!" 

She nodded mutely, half-listening as Kaede drug her into the Boba shop and ordered something that she thought Maki would like, smiling at the workers sweetly and thanking them. Maki said nothing and stared at the window, looking at apartment buildings interspersed with shops, and oddly enough, an orphanage. 

She stared at it for a while, wondering not for the first time if she was failing to take care of the orphanage at home by being here. Was she being selfish by being here? Did she even have room to be selfish? 

Maki snapped out of her thoughts when Kaede shoved a drink into her hands, smiling as she led the way to a table. It was near the window, but Kaede took up the seat that had the view of the orphanage. It was probably so that Maki wouldn't get homesick, but it still touched a small part of her. 

_ Perceptive.  _

Maki looked down at the drink. It was pink, probably something along the lines of a strawberry flavor. The straw on top was almost comically big as well - she found herself fleetingly wondering if she could even drink from it properly, but dismissed the thought as she looked back to the blonde in front of her. 

Kaede smiled, eyes and face like honey in the sunset light. "Ready to try?" 

Maki nodded and set her bag down, watching as Kaede stabbed her straw through the lid and took a sip of her drink, which was colored the same shade of pink as her own. She sighed blissfully. 

The assassin looked back down to her drink. Was it really that good, or was she exaggerating it for Maki's benefit? 

Seeing no other option, she followed Kaede's example and took a sip. The sweet strawberry flavor coated her tongue pleasantly, and although the tapioca pearl at the bottom caught her off guard, she didn't mind it that much as she bit into it. 

Maki took another sip. Alright, so, maybe it was good. Really good. 

Her blonde friend smiled at her. "So I'm guessing you like it?" 

The brunette flushed. "It's not awful." 

Kaede laughed. "Well, I'm glad it made you happy!" Her eyes lit up. "Maybe we could come back together sometime! I think you would like a bunch of other flavors they have!" 

"Why would you want to come back here with me?" She blurted, silently cursing herself. 

"Huh? Well, you're my friend!" 

Maki stared at her.  _ Friend….? _

"Uh it's okay to call you my friend, right?" She asked a bit nervously. Maki took another sip of her drink, thinking of how she was going to answer as she bit down on yet another tapioca pearl. By the time she swallowed it, she made a decision.

"I don't mind."

Kaede's eyes lit up, and Maki knew it was selfish, but she wanted that connection with a girl her own age. So many things could go wrong with that selfish desire of hers, but the lonely kid inside her that had been too silent for too long leapt with glee. It created a mixed feeling of nausea and joy that she wasn't sure how to express, so she just took another sip of her drink and pretended that she didn't feel anything at all. 

To distract herself, she listened to Kaede chat on and on, occasionally pitching in until the conversation abruptly halted. 

Kaede gasped, eyes widening at something outside that only she could see. "Is that….Fuyuhiko-kun?" 

Maki turned, and quickly found herself caught in yet another tangle of emotions as she pondered what she was seeing. 

None other than Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, was exiting the orphanage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, rolling in after two weeks while eating a poptart: haha what is POPPING  
> so. i've been writing this chapter for a while but got stuck on kaede and maki's interaction and especially maki. i wanted to portray her in a way that's different, since usually she's just stoic all the time to other people. and i also wanted to at least look at how she thinks about herself/other people/kindness a little deeper, because her whole situation is complicated and i haven't read fics that really touch on it. in comparison to kaede's or chiaki's inner monologues, i wrote things from her perspective in more of a stream of consciousness-esque style to really emphasize how differently she thinks of herself.   
> uhhhh the harumota in this is shameless and so is the saimatsu - i just think they're neat. and no, i won't be fighting over ships in the comments cause like i said, i'm here to just vibe. even though i stress about my writing and try to take it somewhat seriously, i also just like to screw around and have fun.   
> and i guess i want to address this while i'm here: i know that miu is entertaining and probably the most OOC right now - i'll dive into her in a later chapter because honestly i'm still iffy on what i want to do with her character. uhh, in terms of the other classes, we'll be seeing them sooner rather than later (maybe in the next chapter a certain class will finally start their own group chat? ahaha jk....unlesss....).  
> also all of the relevant nicknames will be left at the top of each chapter for better reading!! this will update whenever i feel like updating so look out for that i guess?  
> i would love to talk with you in the comments about this fic or questions and stuff you have! the comments are the best way to show support but anything you can do helps (and yes, i see you people that comment in the bookmarks. i adore you)! so that's it for now! thanks for reading and i'll see you later!

**Author's Note:**

> welcome back  
> so i'm sad and recently fell back into this hole of a series...so i decided i would try writing for it with something that isn't too heavy. i also wanted to do a chatfic where everyone is at least slightly in character and is just vibing  
> credit to my sibling unit for helping me, when she actually makes an active account i'll add her as a co-creator but it's 4 in the morning where i am 
> 
> i just want them to be happy and want to write a fic/provide a space where others and myself can just...vibe because the fandom is so polarizing 
> 
> for now this is standalone, but if you want to see more then please let me know and i'll update. this was a lot of fun and i just didn't feel like limiting myself when it came to writing - i know this might be disappointing and it's not my usual style, but i was enjoying the process of making it, soooo i posted it? 
> 
> anyway, sorry if people are OOC! any support you can show will go a long way :)) 
> 
> thanks for reading


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